Young Bright Minds & Inventors Academy

Inventors have been a great part of history. There are many inventors who have become famous because their idea has changed the world. When someone mentions inventions or inventors many people would think of Thomas Edison, the great American inventor, but there are a range of other inventors breaking records and changing the world.

Have you ever wondered who the youngest inventor is? The world’s youngest inventor was a three year old boy from the United Kingdom. The boy, Sam Houghton, lives in Buxton, Derbyshire. He was watching his dad clean up with a broom when he discovered an idea for a more efficient broom. His invention was the double headed broom. He created it by tying together two brooms together. It works to catch all debris in its path. On the flip side, who is the oldest inventor? The oldest inventor was. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 74, but is still getting patents granted.

Highly Productive Lives

Moving on, who holds the most patents? Many people incorrectly believe that Thomas Edison holds the most patents with 1,093 US patents obtained. The true holder of the most patents is Shunpel Yamazaki from Japan who holds 1,811 US patents. Close on Yamazaki’s heels is Kia Silverbrook of Australia with 1,646 and Donald Weder of the United States with 1,350. However, the most accurate answer may not ever be known. This is because records of patent ownership are not always 100% well kept.

The US Patent and Trademark Office actually has one person who works on updating record keeping and that is not done on a continuous basis. What about inventors within the same family? Inventing seems to run in the genes. When you find one inventor chances are there is a brother, sister, mother, father or other family member that is also an inventor. One of the most successful families of inventors is the Stevens family. In the family there was Robert Livingston Stevens who invented the Stevens rail used to replace old railroad ties to make rail travel more efficient.

Family Inventors

Also in the family were John Stevens, Edwin Augustus, Francis Bowes Stevens and Edwin Augustus Stevens, Jr. These inventors all worked within the transportation industry to invent and create new innovations. There have been many famous families in the world of invention and one of the best known was the Wright Brothers. The Wright Brothers found a vision and worked until they created the first airplane. Their contribution was so amazing it still affects our lives today. Imagine where we would be without air travel? Thank goodness the invention bug runs in families.

Do we know who has the most rejected inventions? As mentioned, the US Patent Office is not the greatest with releasing well kept records and that includes those of rejections. Saying who has received the most rejected inventions is difficult, if not impossible. Let’s just say that those inventors who have the most inventions probably also got the most rejections. It is common to have a patent rejected many times before actually submitting one that is accepted.

So, there you have it, a nice list of invention records. Some of the inventors highlighted here may be people you haven’t heard of and others may be very familiar. All of them have made great contributions to the world and their inventions played an important role in history. Inventors are amazing people and their contributions to society have changed life over and over. It is always nice to recognize those who have set records and accomplishments.